“NANDI” (GRAND NAIN SELECTION) – code 30/17

Main ratoon characteristics in relation to standard Grand Nain and Williams in South Africa (see notes)

Morphological Characteristics "Nandi"
(mean of 2 ratoons) 		Grand Nain
(mean of 2 ratoons) 		Williams
(mean of 2 ratoons)
Plant height (m) 3.20 3.30 3.40
Bunch Mass (kg) 45.0 43.0 40.5
Hands / bunch 12.5 12.5 12.8
Average cycle time (mths) 12.0 12.6 13.4
Planting density = 1666 plants/ha
Main characteristics of “NANDI”
  1. Shortish selection (3 % shorter than standard Grand Nain).
  2. High yielding bunches (5 % larger than standard Grand Nain)
  3. Shorter cycling selection (1.6 months shorter than standard Grand Nain). This is in large part due to the warmer locality at Letsitele where the elite selections were evaluated, and partly due to the inherent short cycling of the selection.
  4. Ideal selection for maximum yield/ha and fruit quality, where soil and management conditions are optimal.
  5. Nandi produced excellent results over 3 cycles in Costa Rica, from an independent Chiquita trial, in comparison with a range of other selections.
NOTES:
• Standard Grand Nain and Williams data were obtained from a long term cultivar trial using unimproved sucker planting material of these cultivars at a Government research Station (Kiepersol), under optimal growth and management conditions. Data are thus not directly comparable (only indicative)
     
• The main characteristics described are extrapolated from several trial sites in local RSA conditions. Results in tropical conditions will be somewhat different (independent trials conducted in the tropics have been very promising for NANDI). Note there may be considerable differences in the performance of this selection from country to country and from site to site.